Swiss retailers sold 1.3 percent more goods in April compared to the same period a year ago, after increasing a revised 2.1 percent in March on a year-on-year basis, helped by a 16.5 percent increase in sales of information and communications goods.

After a decline of 1.4 percent in March, mail-order, internet, and sales at markets increased 2.9 percent from April of last year. But that was tempered by a 2.1 percent reduction in spending on sporting goods, toys, and published goods.

Monthly comparisons show sales declined 0.3 percent, seasonally adjusted in April following a 0.2 percent increased in March, which was a downward revision from the 0.6 percent originally reported. Information and communications goods were a bright spot, up 1.0 percent on the month, as were mail-order and internet sales which rose 1.5 percent from a month ago. The majority of other sectors showed declines, however.

Looking at a 3-month moving average, retail sales were down 0.2 percent from February to April, compared with the prior three months which shows a rather subdued spending environment.

Retail sales measure the total receipts at stores that sell durable and nondurable goods. The survey comprises around 4,000 companies with the small-sized firms asked to provide monthly turnover data on a quarterly basis. Statistics are provided in both nominal and volume measures; the latter is the more important for financial markets. The headline figure is the annual growth in sales volumes adjusted for differences in trading days. Seasonally adjusted monthly changes are also provided. Details are limited in the first estimate but a more complete picture is provided with the following month's release.

Consumer spending accounts for a large portion of the economy, so if you know what consumers are up to, you will have a pretty good idea on where the economy is headed. Needless to say, that is a big advantage for investors. The pattern in consumer spending is often the foremost influence on stock and bond markets. For stocks, strong economic growth translates to healthy corporate profits and higher stock prices. For bonds, the focus is whether economic growth goes overboard and leads to inflation. Ideally, the economy walks that fine line between strong growth and excessive (inflationary) growth. Retail sales not only give you a sense of the big picture, but also the trends among different types of retailers. Perhaps auto sales are especially strong or apparel sales are showing exceptional weakness. These trends from the retail sales data can help you spot specific investment opportunities, without having to wait for a company's quarterly or annual report.